Card binders



Aug. 11, 1959 r I. E. KWARTLER ET AL 2,898,919

CARD BINDERS Filed Alig; 5, 1957 INVENTOR IRWIN E. KWARTLER BY RICHARD Lw w yiT oRNE Ys ite 2,898,919 I Patented Aug. 11, 1959 Free CARD BINDERS Irwin E. Kwartler and Richard L. Wade, St. Louis, Mo., assignors to Royal McBee Corporation, Port Chester, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application August 5, 1957, Serial No. 676,132

1 Claim. (Cl. 129-24) This invention relates to a card binder and more particularly relates to a novel construction and arrangement for the parts of a binder which is capable of efliciently supporting, retaining and housing a plurality of record cards.

In conducting certain businesses such as public utilities, the service data for each of the various customers is determined by a reading of many individual fuel, water or electrical meters which are located in or near the respective homes of the utility customers. Here, service personnel periodically obtain data from these meters and this data is marked on individual customer record cards which are subsequently processed by high speed data processing equipment. Using this type of record card system several card handling difliculties are presented to servicemen who must read a large number of such meters. First, the transporting of several hundred of these record cards over a particular route must be accomplished in a practical manner so as to prevent any of the cards from being lost or shuffled out of route sequence. Secondly, in that the Serviceman must carry these cards during all kinds of weather conditions care must be taken not to unduly expose the cards to the damaging effects of rain or snow or the like. Cards which have been damaged to any significant extent may have to be remade in order to be accommodated by said data processing equipment. Thirdly, although thecards must be retained together as a group, each individual card must be quickly available for use without interference. Repeated time delay in locating the proper one of several hundred record cards will make the overall reading operations excessively long.

One object of the instant invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement for a binder which may be efliciently used to collectively retain and support a group of record cards.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel card binder which will permit a large number of record cards to be easily manually carried and which will protect the record cards from damage due to weather conditions and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved card binder whereby each individual card may be readily and individually selected for use.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the general nature and construction of the instant card binder.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view taken in the plane of the forward surface of the vertical portion of the binder frame and shows the construction of the card post retaining latch 12.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view and shows the cover of the instant card binder in the closed position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a modification of the instant card binder.

Referring to Fig. l the card binder comprises an integral frame member 1 having a horizontal portion 2 and an upstanding or vertical portion 3. Articulately connected to the upper edge of said portion 3 is a cover 4 which may be moved from the closed position shown in Fig. 3 to the open position shown in Fig. 1. A pair of spaced brackets 5 are secured to the frame portion 2 and respectively pivotally support the substantially straight card retaining posts 7 and 8. The cross sectional profile of each of said posts is rectangular so as to accommodate two standard size key punch slots which are formed in the record cards used with the instant binder. A horizontally disposed card supporting platform plate 10 is secured to the horizontal portion 2 of the frame member 1 and overlies the two post support brackets 5 and 6.

The vertical portion 3 of the frame member 1 is provided with a pair of positively acting latches, indicated generally at 12 and 13, which respectively receive and releasably retain the upper ends of said post-s 7 and 8. Latch 12 comprises a formed angle plate 15, Figs. 1 and 2, which is suitably secured to the said frame portion 3 and which is provided with an elongated vertically disposed slot 16. The studs 18 and 19, fixedly secured to said plate 15, slidably engage the respective walls of slots 20 and 21 formed in the slide 23. The outer end of slide 23 is provided with a bent over portion 24 which serves as a means to manually operate said slide. A spring 25 operatively connected between the left end 26, Fig. 2, of slide 23 and the plate 15 biases said slide towards the right, Fig. 2, and into a normal position determined by engagement of either or both of the ends of slits 20 and 21 with said studs 18 and 19. The body of slide 23 is formed with a notch 27 and a longitudinally disposed projection 28 so that when said slide is in its normal position the projection 28 extends transversely across the central portion of said slot 16, while notch 27 allows the lower portion of said notch 16 to remain uncovered.

The post 7 may be secured in the latch 12 by displacing the slide 23 to the left, Fig. 2, and swinging the upper end of said post into said slot 16. Thereafter slide 23 is released to move to its normal position wherein the projection 28 prevents withdrawal of the post from .said slot 16.

The construction and operation of the latch 13 is similar to that just described for latch 12.

Fixedly secured to the horizontal portion 2 of frame member 1 is a pair of spaced brackets 30 and 31 which respectively pivotally support the two arms 32 and 33. Said bail arms are yieldably biased in a counter clockwise direction (as viewed from the left in Fig. 1) by means of springs 34 and 35 which are respectively mounted, in a well known manner, in the articulate connections between said brackets 30, 31 and arms 32 and 33. The free ends of said arms pivotally support the card separator bail 36.

To load the instant binder the posts 7 and 8 are each unlatched and moved to a vertical position. A group of record cards, having holes punched therein which positionally register with said posts, are then threaded over posts 7 and 8 and are moved downwardly so as to seat on said supporting plate 10. The plate 10 keeps said cards from contacting either the brackets 5 and 6 or the horizontal portion 2 of the frame member; such contact possibly causing the bottom cards to become damp or torn. The upper ends of posts 7 and 8 are then secured in said latches 12 and 13. It will be noted that said posts, when in their respective operative secured positions, will be rearwardly inclined and the record cards 37, Fig. 3 will be fanned upwardly and rearwardly so as to allow full card visibility and rapid scanning and flipping thereof. In that the cross sectional shape of the posts 7 and 8 corresponds to the shape of the standard key punch holes or slots formed in the record cards 37, said slots will not be distorted during the normal life of said cards.

The card separator bail 36 is manipulated as follows. In that said cards 37 are initially arranged in route sequence the next card to be marked on will always correspond to the next meter to be read, hence after the serviceman has completed recording the necessary data on a given record card, hewill move the bail 36 forwardly, against the action of springs 34 and 35, as shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 1; lift said given card up and reposition said bail beneath said given card and above the next following card. In this manner, the serviceman may close the card binder after making the proper entries on said given card and when arriving at the next meter to be read may immediately open the binder to the proper card to be marked on. This procedure will not only save time but will avoid the deleterious effects caused by extensive manipulation and fingering of said cards.

When said cover 4 is in the closed position, shown in Fig. 3, the cards 37 will be sheltered from the elements. If desired, the lateral ends of cover 4 may be provided with downwardly extending side plates which will additionally protect the ends of cards 37 during very severe weather conditions. It will be noted that the length of the horizontal frame portion 2 is greater than that of the cover 4 thereby permitting the serviceman to press the binder against his body yet have the cards far enough away to easily make entries thereon; thus such entries may be made without resting the binder on some other stationary object. Further, when said cover, is in said closed position, the upper surface thereof and the exposed forward surface of the horizontal portion 2 of frame member 1 will each provide a flat writing surface.

Fig. 4 shows a modified embodiment of the invention wherein a different type of card separator device is used. Here instead of employing the bail 36 and its immediate supporting structure, a card separator member 38 is provided; said member being articulately connected to the free end of the cover 4, and having an integral lower projection 39. The member 38 is used and manipulated in a manner corresponding to that described above for the bail 36, so that said member always overlies the next record card 40 to be marked. The advantage in connecting the card separator member 38 to the cover 4 is that when moving said cover from the closed to the cards 41 and will thereby conveniently expose said next card to be marked. When the cover 4 is in a substantially vertical open position, the projection 39 will prevent the marked cards 41 from falling back on the said card 40. As the cover 4 is moved to the closed position, projection 39 will move rearwardly, to the left as seen in Fig. 4, between the said card posts 7 and 8, and the main body portion of member 38 will be lowered into overlying contact with said card 40.

While several embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous variations and modifications may be made in the particular construction without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. It is therefore desired, by the following claim, to include within the scope of the invention all such variations and modifications whereby substantially the results of the invention may be obtained by the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

The invention claimed is:

A record card binder, comprising, a frame member having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, a cover articulately mounted on said vertical portion, said cover having a length which is less than that of said horizontal portion, a pair of rectangular cross sectioned card retaining posts pivotally mounted on said horizontal portion,

a card supporting plate operatively supported in overlying relation with respect to said horizontal portion and the pivotal support for said posts, a pair of latches mounted on said vertical portion and adapted to receive positively and releasably secure the upper ends of said posts, a pair of spring biased arms secured to said horizontal portion, and a pivotable card separator bail articulately connected to the free ends of said arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 476,487 Putney June 7, 1892 762,836 McCormick June 14, 1904 794,035 Monson July 4, 1905 1,329,910 Lambert Feb. 3, 1920 1,423,076 Brundage July 18, 1922 2,551,213 Lang May 1, 1951 

